The Monument
Sadow's branded body lay next a river of lava in Hell, tears burning his face with ash coating the air. He asked aloud "What are you...?" The voice replied "I...? I am a Monument to all your Sins." Sadow asked "What do you want from me...?" The voice stayed silent for a bit, hesitantly, and replied "You have Devoveo's Brand. Which can only mean you were a sacrifice." Sadow's mind flashed back to Shade's face, looking down at them as they were attacked by the ghouls. The voice continued "The residents of Hell have taken to calling me... Akuma. However, the Vice Kings know me as Ira the Furious. I am the fourth Vice King." Sadow's wet eyes widened as he jolted up, ready to defend himself with his bare hands if need-be. Akuma gave what sounded like a chuckle and went on "Such fear in those young eyes. Be easy, Son of Man, for I have abandoned my position as Vice King of rage long ago. I now dwell, beneath the hot rock of Hell's ground, waiting for a chance to do battle with a worthy opponent." Sadow asked "If you are a Vice King, why did you leave...?" Akuma answered sternly "Each Vice King has their own appropriate duty to the mortals of this realm. Vita, the Vice King of Life, ensures that the races don't go extinct, if he can help it. Devoveo tempts mortals and shows them that everyone can be just as much of a monster as us. Esurio symbolizes greed and gluttony that festers in everyone's heart. And I symbolize the world's wrathful nature and our uncontrollable anger. All four of us serve the Concept." Sadow's brow raised questioningly as he asked "The Concept...?" Akuma explained "The Concept of Evil is an entity not of God's creation. It is a powerful force created by the unifying sin of everyone's desires. Humanity, Shinigamis, Hollows, Demons, everyone. They all indulged in the same sin. And that unifying animosity festered into a form so malicious, it gained an identity. A mind. That entity is what we Vice Kings service." Sadow sat cross-legged next to the river of lava and continued his questioning, intrigued by this figure "So you left to escape servitude...?" Akuma responded "Tch... Of course, Son of Man. Wouldn't '''you' have done the same?"'' Sadow then stood "If you are no longer a Vice King, then teach me how to defeat them." Akuma was clearly startled by this "Did I hear you correctly, Son of Man? You wish to face the Vice Kings? You and what army?" Sadow pointed his thumb to his chest and exclaimed "Me, myself, and I! If I could take down Bael, I can take down these bastards!" Akuma, within his underground lair, smirked revealing small fangs "You've got spirit, Son of Man. I respect that highly. But why, may I ask, do you choose the Vice Kings as the target of your vendetta...?" Sadow answered "They tore from me a friend... And made that friend a monster, whom I will also have to destroy..." Suddenly, the lava river split, revealing the rock being formed into a stairwell, leading to a large hole in the ground, the inside being shrouded in darkness. Akuma beckoned "Enter my domain, Son of Man, and I will teach you the way to harness your inner anger into a power that'll keep you alive." Sadow descended down the stone-stairwell and into the ground, where he walked down a dark and cold hall until reaching a room like that of a dream. There stood a man wrapped in red and black, with red eyes and glowing red runes etched onto his skin. He smirked at Sadow and greeted "Welcome, Son of Man." At that, he layed onto a board-puzzle a piece of kanji, nearly finishing it. It seemed he didn't have much to do in his free time other than puzzles. Sadow looked around in wonder as Akuma walked over to a wooden chest laying against a wall. Opening it, he rummaged through it until locating a pair of small yet broad swords, one black and the other white, and hands them to Sadow "These will be your new weapons. They are made of a metal durable enough to break even Satanium." Sadow's eyes widened at this and he asked, swinging the swords at the air "What metal could possibly crack Satanium?!" Akuma smirked and answered "My iron." Sadow raised a brow questioningly at him "Your... what?" Akuma nodded confirmingly "The iron in my blood. My Vice King status grants me alot of power in different aspects of my physical being. To put it simply, I am the god of war." Sadow smirked and sheathed the blades onto his back as Akuma ushered him to another room where, kept neatly in a glass case, was what looked like a black version of Roman chest and leg armour, outlined in white. Unlocking the case, Akuma handed the armour to Sadow "Try this on for size." Sadow was amazed at how dense yet, at the same time, light it was. He went into another room and changed into the armour and found it to be remarkably comfortable. Finding the lack of sleeves to be a bit unfashionable, Sadow convinced his new teacher to allow him to modify the armour with red sleeves and a red Trenchcoat attachment. Akuma smirked while observing his new student "Looks like you're ready. Just know that in this training you'll be learning very brutal and merciless techniques. In this world, hesitation and mercy will get you killed. Understand?" Sadow nodded in compliance as Akuma slammed his fist hard into his gut, knocking the wind out of him. He smirked "Now... let's begin." Ten Years Later Sadow stood proudly as Akuma sat on his skull-decorated throne, examining him "Your progress is excellent, Sadow. Though I must warn you, the power your friend has attained is beyond your comprehention. If you face him, you will surely die." Sadow shook his head "I don't care, Akuma-sama. Shade must pay for what he's done." Akuma smiled darkly "Good answer. Go get him, kid." Sadow smiled and bowed slightly in respect, thanks, and farewell. At that, he turned around and headed up the stairwell. Akuma rested his chin on his fist while his elbow rested on the armrest of his throne "That kid has a long way if he wants to beat Shade, let alone the Vice Kings. But if he pulls it off, well... I'll be proud I helped." End